Dark Childhood
by Rocko Chresington
Summary: The dark days of Randall's childhood... he lives in an orphanage, ten years old, and recently abandoned. Why was he forgotten on this lonely doorstep? Surely somebody loved him. Chapter 2 is finally up! Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

Dark Childhood

5/4/07

By Organization XIII rules

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**Disclaimer:**

I'm Organization XIII rules... yeah, the funky-hair dude who owns this fic. Mm-hmm... funny. Now, anyway, just to let the whole world know... ahem... I DON'T OWN MONSTERS INC. Do I look like Disney and/or Pixar? Do I look like a genius? Well, actually, I look like a mad scientist... uh, ha-ha, no comment. Do I wish I owned Monsters Inc.? Yes, me, and this group of fans behind me... there's hundreds of them.

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Prologue

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Young Randall loved the sunset; he loved to watch it through his window. He was attentive, paying close notice to the sky and sun changing colors. He took his small light-blue camera and took a picture; the digital results were a golden sun and blue sky, which were slowly melting into pinkish sun and purple sky -- the complete opposite contrasts were fun to compare. The pink sun was now sinking behind the mountaintops, while Randall printed out the photographic results, posting it into his "scrapbook".

Thin, purple, webbed fingers ran over the dark navy blue surface of the scrapbook's front cover. Randall's name was made up of colorful stickers, others included smiley faces, monsters, bugs, and stars. He recorded every day of his life in this treasure that had been kept track of since last year. He closed the thick-rimmed book, taking care not to bend any of the pop-up images or extended images that reached off the page, yet kept straight.

From his tiny bedroom, he watched through the glass to see what was going on in the outside world. He lived in the ghetto, but the upper-town section, where supposedly no danger lived. In parking lots, he watched the vehicles drive by to look for a spot. On the street, he watched monsters tried to cross, while cars patiently waited. He could see a lot from the third-floor view given to him. He eyed a silver minivan, looking as it pulled up onto the gravel. His eyes narrowed, his mouth shut, and his expression calm... yet irritated. A middle-aged, oddly-matched monster couple got out of the car, carrying cardboard boxes with mysterious items inside. The couple strangely resembled octopuses; the man had a moustache, and groomed it straight.

This weird couple made Randall realize how much he stood out from the normal. Most monsters had certain characteristics that made them similar, such as four limbs only (arms and legs), multiple limbs (usually meaning they have six to ten), sluggish appearance, spines on their back, etc. Randall, however, was tall for his age, and most would say he was the skinniest they've ever seen in their lifetimes. He stared at the pathways outside, leading to the local park to the left, ignoring the couple who were entering the orphanage: the place he had called 'home' for three months now. His attention drifted to the cliffsides of the mountain, and the sun sinking behind it...

He sighed, trying not to think. He was grateful for many things, and had to be reminded daily to be appreciative, because the worst could've been staying homeless, begging for food at the inn, holding a penny jar. However, the orphanage wasn't perfect, nor was it bad. He loved the library his room was close to -- it held dusty couches, a decaying rug, and worn-out chairs, though, but with the advantage of humongous shelves of books. In his room, there were two beds, but the other was unused, and he doubted he'd want to share this room with anyone.

Silently, he crawled off his easy chair -- the one perched by the desktop, where he'd spend artistic time and concentration at the sunset or watching outside his window -- and slithered onto his bed, using his reptilian abilities to the fullest, since they were being abused by lack of exercise. He lied down on one of the beds -- his favorite one was by the window -- to think about life, and all the things to be grateful for. He was very thankful for everything... even the stiff mattress he was lying on at that very moment. After a small thought, he shivered and felt cold, so in natural survival instinct, he crawled off the bed and went to his dresser to find something warm to wear.

His fingers ran across the drawer, reaching toward the rusted gold knob, and pulling the case open to peek inside. He found a school uniform and a spare, and of course he was wise enough to keep a spare. Beneath that, he pulled out a dress uniform, which was a tuxedo-type, used for formal gatherings or whatever special holiday event being planned at the orphanage. Soon, he was unsatisified at finding something warm. He closed that drawer and opened the one above it to find some casual clothes. A red sweater was found... he grimaced while putting the itchy thing on, but at least it was cozy in some form. His scales felt uncomfortable with polyester or cotton sometimes.

He curled up on his dusty pillow, trying to heat up. His tired eyes closed in concentration, and his long neck felt sore. It wasn't long until the clock alarm went off, signaling the time was 4:55 PM, five minutes until his adoption interview. He groaned, and slowly got off his bed, taking off the ridiculous sweater and grabbed his scrapbook. Down the narrow stairway, he could hear three voices -- one belonged to his caretaker, a feminine voice came after, and a deeper voice. His best guess was that the cephalapodian couple were the "Mr. and Mrs. Cliff" who wanted to meet him.

A startled gasp came when he opened the door. His eyes slightly widened, but still kept narrow, calm, and serious. He had swung the door wide open, and he guessed that maybe the quick motion scared somebody. After knowing a lot of people, he knew that some monsters were scared of fast movement. An awkward silence lasted when Randall had entered the room, and he still pertained that serious expression, without once breaking out into laughter or even a smile. Finally, after snapping out of his imagination, he realized that it was indeed his caretaker and the cephalapodian couple, and that he was right. _"Of course."_ Randall thought. Finally, the feminine voice of his caretaker spoke up, "Uh - um... Randall, it's so nice to see you."

Randall blinked: the only sign that everyone could tell that he wasn't dead... he was so still like a statue that they couldn't even see his chest rising and falling, or his muscles twitch. He said in a boyish tone (he's still a kid, remember?), "Mm-hmm." He glanced over at the couple; they resembled octopuses seriously and clearer up-close than from the noticeable distance. His shifty eyes flicked up and down, absorbing the sight of them, and shrugged with a "can't complain" expression.

The caretaker gathered enough courage to stand from her seat, and close the door when Randall had walked in. She smiled apologetically, holding a clipboard, almost grasping onto it. "I'm sorry. Randall's a little... swift." Ah, so it was motion that frightened them in their peace and quiet. "I'm sure he didn't mean to barge in so suddenly..." Her eyes gave a piercing glare at him. "Randall...?"

"Mm-hmm." He replied in the same tone as earlier, with a slow nod and slouched composture. His elegant, long neck looked over at the other two monsters once more, still examining and studying their appearances. Of course, he didn't know that it could offend some people, since they thought that he was disgusted, and that's why he was staring for such long periods of time.

The caretaker smiled nervously again, "... Randall? This is Mr. and Mrs. Cliff, you know, the nice people who want to adopt you. Maybe you could... show them some of your abilities? Maybe you could introduce yourself properly?" She offered anxiously, and when nobody was paying attention to her, she placed her clipboard to the side and watched with sinking hope.

"Hey." Randall said quietly, but audible to the ear. "I'm Randall Boggs."

The woman laughed, "Thank you for telling us your name..." she said, looking over at her unimpressed husband, as she tried to keep the conversation flowing, "So... how old are you, Randall?"

_"Didn't they tell you that?"_ Randall thought, and answered, "Ten." His heart nearly stopped when the man glared at him, and he could feel himself blushing with embarrassment, or maybe it was just that he was a little... shy?

After what seemed like an eternity, the man said, "A little young, aren't you?" This time, Randall was the one being examined and stared at for a very long time. He always felt uncomfortable at these interviews, because most foster parents didn't like him... they thought he was too isolated.

_"What did you expect when you heard the name 'Randall Boggs'? A sixteen-year-old?"_ Randall thought to himself again, but simply said, "Mm-hmm."

"He looks rather tall for being just ten. I thought he was twelve or thirteen." The wife said; Randall was unsure whether to take that as a compliment or insult. But decidedly took it as a compliment, even if it wasn't intended to be. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, his caretaker patting the chair beside her, and he sat down beside her. Randall found it difficult to sit in a chair since he was built with a serpent-like body, so usually he'd approach the chair from behind, slither on, and sit with his tail draped off the edge of the chair, with one pair of hind legs hanging off the front edge, and his two pairs of arms preoccupied doing something else.

"So, Randall, do you have any favorite hobbies?" The woman asked, and for the first time Randall cared to check what she really looked like. Well, despite the cephalapodian resemblence, she actually only had six limbs, as did her husband. She was orange, and the husband was purple, but for some strange reason, she was bigger in size than her husband was.

"Go ahead, Randall." The caretaker urged, noticing that Randall was too occupied and unknowingly staring bizarrely at the couple, which almost made them figure he was racist. After all, this was the ghetto, and who knows if cephalapodian creatures were "not to his tastes", like some prejudicial individuals would say. When Randall noticed his caretaker's concerned expression, he found no immediate response to her words, or his possible mother-to-be's words. He had to search inside his mind to find what to say without looking foolish or humiliated.

The foster parents were examining his thin figure like computer scanners. The caretaker smiled, and so did the wife. "You nervous, Randall?" He almost wanted to get really angry, because he felt as if they were judging him too harshly already. But since he hadn't responded, they had assumed that.

"I'm an artist..." Randall said distantly, revealing his scrapbook, "I do crafts." He thought about what he just said, and remembered previous visits with foster parents, where he was harassed... _"Crafts? Ain't that for the ladies?"_ His firm grip tightened and his arm went stiff, but nevertheless continued, "I take photographs with my digital camera, I draw pictures, and... I have this scrapbook."

The expressions written on the parents' faces seemed like they thought he was gifted and/or talented, which was an early, but good sign. He continued talking by opening his scrapbook and showing pictures, "These are of the sunset... I marked the dates, the time, what I was feeling when I saw it... These are passerbys on the street, taken also on date, time, and my opinion of them... this isn't to be critical -- it's actually to study the anatomy and structural build of people, because I'm learning how to draw them better. The images still look a little screwed up, but I know that eventually, I'll get it right."

_"So far, so good..."_ Randall guessed by the pleased looks on his caretaker's and the cephalapodian couple's faces. He hoped nothing terrible, as in embarrassing or humiliating, would happen now. The wife spoke up after some silence, "So Randall Boggs, ten years old, creative, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Randall said, trying to display the politeness he adapted and used daily to authority, a principle his caretaker was required to teach him. Respect for authority...

"What have you learned in school?" She asked; Randall froze, unsure of what to say next. He looked at his caretaker, who made a gesture for him to continue. Lately, Randall had been lazy and didn't really care to memorize important facts... that was so unlike the bright ten-year-old that arrived on the orphanage doorstep that foggy evening three months ago. It was the second month here that melted his kind behavior to carelessness... just to know that nobody cared about him.

Randall thought things over wisely before saying anything that could damage his appearance, "... I know elementary basics." He said, completely in a out-of-the-blue matter. The wife had an amused smile and gasp, and the husband rose an eyebrow in disbelief and curiosity. Was he really that smart for a ten-year-old, to actually know what 'elementary basics' means? Most twelve-year-olds don't even know how to spell or pronounce pteranadon -- something Randall mastered at seven years old -- that flying dinosaur from the cretaceous period.

"What sort of basics?" the wife questioned, tilting her giant head to one side.

Randall gulped, "English basics... composition, grammar, writing skills... For example, I know capitalization and punctuation, nouns, forms of speech, verbs, easy stuff like that. I'm a good speller." He said, squinting one eye.

The husband scoffed, "Can you spell pachyderm?"

Randall blinked, "P-A-C-H-Y-D-E-R-M."

The husband's jaw dropped and the wife applauded quietly in the background. A ten-year-old reptile-like monster that can spell an elephant's scientific name... how unique is that? Randall continued nevertheless, still serious with narrowed eyes, "For mathematics... I've covered those general math basics, like fractions, graphs, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and problem-solving..."

Out of nowhere, the husband, seemingly unimpressed, asked, "What's 21 times 3?"

"62." Randall answered, way too quickly.

The couple was silent... the wife said, "I couldn't do that until I was fifteen."

"Ditto." the husband included.

Randall shrugged, "Math is my best subject." That was probably true, due to the fact he was extremely creative, inventive, and productive, unlike most kids his age with short attention spans, carelessness about life and its purpose, and useless until they're eighteen. "Science basics..." He pondered for a moment, trying to gather his memories from it, "I... learned about the planet... outer space, rocks, bugs, life, fish, machines, robots, and stuff..."

"He's quite intelligent." the wife observed.

"What, it's not like he knows college physics." the husband concluded with a huff.

"3rd grade." Randall said, crossing his arms. When he was eight years old...

"Well, ok, what about history?" the wife asked.

History. That dreaded subject... Randall did NOT have a care or good memory about the subject at all. Most kids loved history, and hey, he couldn't complain about it, but he couldn't record very adequate data unless it was in his scrapbooks. He couldn't really remember who Christopher Colochness (Chris Colombus haha) was and what purpose he served in today's times. "Um, history?" Randall asked.

"He has a tutor on that." His caretaker saved him. "Right now he's studying the monster presidents!"

"Ah, an interesting subject indeed." the husband said, "History is my best subject, and my wife loves English." Crud. The only two things Randall struggled in when he didn't get enough study-time.

"He's quite handy with math and science, though." the wife observed. "Besides school, and your creative abilities... Do you have any social interaction?"

"Uh..." Randall froze like an iceberg, and looked over at his caretaker, wondering what that was supposed to exactly 'mean'. Suddenly he said, "I used to have a roommate last month..."

"Oh, really?" the wife said, "What was he like?"

Randall blushed, "... she..."

The cephalapodian couple's eyes got huge... The caretaker said, "Anna Bakeston had nowhere to go, the entire orphanage was full, except for Randall's room, so... she stayed there for two weeks until she got parents easily. She was twelve."

"I see." the husband said, keeping a close eye on Randall, who was now pretty embarrassed that they had to ask about social interactions. "Other than that...?"

"No, not really." Randall sighed, "People say I'm in isolation." The couple didn't look impressed. "That's why nobody likes me..." They felt pity now... that was a first. Firsts were good, sometimes.

"So, would you like to be around lots of people?" the wife asked, "Like, how about... camping?"

"Ew, no." Randall said, "I can't tolerate great amounts of country music." He didn't mean to offend them, but... country? He didn't really like the noises of banjos, harmonicas, and freaky instruments played by rednecks. He had bad memories from them... bad.

"Well, how about nature walks?" the husband asked, but it felt like he was saying: _"Is it really that you don't like country music, or is it that you just plain don't like country?"_

Randall felt really bad now... "I don't really do nature walks." He shook his head in embarrassment, and even... a little shame.

Changing the subject, the wife asked, "Do you like fancy restaurants? Every child in the right mind likes..." They looked at Randall. Her eyes got serious and wide, "You don't like fancy restaurants...?"

"Not... really." Randall said, seeing he wasn't passing the test for them.

The wife looked disappointed, "No antique shops either?"

Randall shook his head, "And I don't even like video games." With that, the husband remarked that this child was abnormal, and they left the room. The caretaker felt horrible, and ran after them, shutting the door tight. At the loud thump, Randall flinched, and his fronds drooped in abashment. His eyes squinted, trying to keep tears from spilling over. He failed again... nothing, not even death, was worse than failure for him. Failure meant not getting it correct, it meant being called wrong, and it meant bad appearance, and that was the main key why nobody adopted him. Another interview that has landed in miserable failure. The foster parents now left the building, unsatisfied with that 'sick and twisted child', as they commented, Randall could hear it sharply through the window glass.

He felt awkward and insecure now... he slouched down, sliding down from the firm grip he had against the tall wall, slithering all the way down until he was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His fist clenched, and he pounded it down hard, before a tear ran down his cheek. He wiped it away, gained his sanity, and stood upright again, ready to face whoever came in. It was his caretaker again, she looked just as miserable and disappointed as he did. Shutting the door, she looked at him apologetically, "Randall... I'm so sorry... for putting you through this all over again."

That was a positive thing to look at that grateful day. His caretaker actually... listened to him, cared about his feelings and emotions, and helped him through rough situations like this. She actually cared about him, and was one of the few who'd bother. A grin sprawled on his face, "... It's okay." He said.

"No, it's not okay." the caretaker said, almost in tears, as he could see.

Randall reached up, since he was shorter than her, to wipe the tears off her face. "No, really, it's okay." He said, looking up to her, and opening the door, and with his last words being, "Nobody ever liked me anyway. Not my parents, not my family, not my so-called friends, and obviously everybody else." He shut the door, and the orphanage seemed a lot quieter and gloomier... almost the same feeling as if a tragic loss happened.

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**Author's Note:**

Ta-da, first chapter! I want to write a Randall fic of what happened when he was young (yes, I'm aware that there's LOTS of stories like this out there), but what will make this one different from the others is that, like all stories, it has a different plot and idea, and not to mention, different author. This childhood story might be good... depends on what you think. I re-did a portion of this from my last draft, making Randall ten instead of eleven, in case anybody points this out. As to why, you'll see it benefits my storyline if he's a year younger so I can add cool stuff.

Also, about Randall being a supergenius... I knew college physics stuff when I was 8. Yeah, I'm weird... make fun of me. Ha-ha... you have permission to flame me just for being intelligent.

Please tell me if you find any errors or something you dislike. And please, please, PLEASE tell me if somebody's already come up with some of my ideas. I don't want anybody to think I'm "copying" them... even though this ideas are purely from my imagination and most likely shouldn't be already thought of from somebody else. Enjoy the story! Title, chapter flow, and other various things are subject to notice. Sorry about the mess... I'm a 14-year-old writer, go easy on me, please.

**Author's Response:**

FicCheck: Thanks for reviewing my works, both Dark Childhood and Average Monster! Somehow, these two stories will connect to each other. For now, Average Monster is on a very long hiatus, so I can finish Dark Childhood, which is a fic in Randall's point-of-view, something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Also, there'll be Childhood Laughter, the complete opposite story, based on Sulley instead. Pretty awesome, huh? Thank you again for reviewing my works and giving me some cool newspaper ideas for Average Monster, that I have yet to use. Thank you!

SylverStrike: Aw, thank you... I was almost worried I didn't add enough description on some things, like for example, what his room looked like. Maybe I should add it in the second chapter, so the visuals come strong. I thank you a million times for reviewing, since most who look at my fics don't. You rule!

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(c) fic to Organization XIII rules

I still don't own the characters, just the fic.

(c) Randall Boggs to Pixar/Disney

(c) Monsters Inc. to Pixar/Disney

(c) Caretaker & Mr.-Mrs. Cliff to Organization XIII rules

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	2. Chapter I: Jenny

Dark Childhood

5/18/07

By Organization XIII rules

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**Disclaimer:**

I am Organization XIII rules. I own this fic... wow, shocking. But, I'd just like to tell the whole world again... I STILL DON'T OWN MONSTERS INC.! I wish I worked for Pixar and was the genius who created Sulley, Mike, Randall, Roz, Boo, etc. Since I'm writing the fic, do the characters 'temporarily' belong to me? Mua-ha-ha-ha... no. I'm going to go lock myself in a room and cry now... kidding. Some people believe everything... ha-ha. Wait a minute... I believe everything. ... gasp.

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Chapter I: Jenny

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It was March evening, and Randall watched the van drive off without him... no matter how much he cried, there was no way he'd convince that vehicle to turn around and fetch him back. Tears stormed out, as he tried to overcome the shock and reality of what had just happened. The dark and empty street had no more cars coming down it, just rain, as it cascaded down the sewer pipes. City lights were the only sources of light, since it was a new moon...

He was all alone for the first time... He turned around and looked up to where he was abandoned. Monstropolis Orphanage, huh? He had nothing to do, nowhere to go, he didn't know his way back home, but he knew where it was, who his family was, and everything. With nothing to do, no parents left, no family at all to care for him... he decided to approach the orphanage and just somehow hope that it'd be something good, instead of a graffiti-plagued hell like the rest of downtown Monstropolis.

He knocked on the door... the door that'd lead him to a new life.

Nobody loved ten-year-old Randall Boggs... _"Or at least that's how I feel." _Randall thought; it was the next day after the adoption interview failure, and he was doodling at his desk. Once again, he was all alone in the orphanage. He had lived there for three solid months now, from March to June. He was a mysterious child, because no one, not even Jenny the caretaker, knew about his parents or family. It seemed like he forgot all about them, but it wasn't possible, because whenever somebody would ask about his family, he'd laugh and shrug it off. When they talked about his parents, his eyes got wide and he'd keep moving along in shock. Nobody knew why, although the only evidence they got of his family was that they didn't want him, not even his parents. Maybe he was rejected?

He didn't seem to have any siblings, but nobody knew. He was always alone, never spoke of anybody else, wasn't judgmental, and was said to be really easy to get along with, since he usually minded his own business, didn't intrude, and worked hard on his crafts. He didn't have any friends at the orphanage, besides his caretaker, but that was his 'legal guardian'. He didn't seem to mind that he didn't have anybody.

_"Well..."_ Randall thought that next day after the adoption interview failure, as he was doodling at his desk. His curious, distant eyes were staring up at the ceiling, at the cracks and worn-out condition that perfectly matched the rest of the building. It looked like he was smiling, but to himself, giving the impression that he was laughing at himself, about the fact that nobody liked him. _"Would this qualify for 'somebody'?"_ He mentally asked himself looking at a framed picture on his desk; he picked it up with one hand, the other holding his relaxed head.

There was this program that sought to provide for the orphans, and some nice kids living in the upper-class city area of Monstropolis, rather than the ghetto downtown area he lived in, would come with boxes of toys and clothes for the children at the orphanage. Imagine the joy the kids would get in their lives by getting new toys, fancy clothes, gift cards to stores and fast-food restaurants, birthday cards and presents, and so much more, for those who didn't have parents and needed hope in their lives. Randall had been part of the program unknowingly; the kid who gave him stuff was a young monster named Fungus, a short little red monster with three eyes and thick-rimmed glasses.

Randall was, in fact, looking at this framed picture that was of him and Fungus last time they met up. He snickered quietly to himself at Fungus' appearance, as he'd always comment to the boy in-person that his glasses made him look dorky. Of course, Fungus would protest in a funny way, and each time, it made Randall laugh. And how Randall missed laughter.

The lizard boy was a little too quiet around this child he was so thankful for, and was probably accidentally taking him for granted. Fungus would laugh, tell him jokes, and talk about the most interesting things. Last time they talked, they were talking about the red dust on Mars, and popular roller-coasters. Randall felt sad that he couldn't gather up the courage to tell Fungus how happy he was to see him each time he visited, and sometimes, Randall felt that he was bossing around this little monster. But it was probably because he'd been through so much, and Fungus noticed this, and was extremely forgiving to him.

Unfortunately, Randall only saw Fungus in the school-year, on weekends and school holidays. He remembered that Easter, since he hadn't celebrated a Christmas, Fungus helped him celebrate it. It felt so different and bright than Randall's own dark life. Now that it was summer, he hadn't seen Fungus for a long time. Last time he saw him was May 27, a Sunday, and that was seven days ago, last week, because it was June 3. But just because Fungus frequently visited, it didn't really mean that he and Randall were friends. _"We're more like... well, it's hard to tell."_ Randall thought, fooling around with his mechanical pencil.

Fungus was brightening up Randall's life, but Randall had nothing to give Fungus in return, and yet it wasn't a giver/taker relationship. Somehow, just one wanted to give without anything in return, and remained pure and good by kind actions. And Randall was the lowly orphan, living all alone. That summer, he wasn't surprised if he was told to spend it all alone. He wanted to see Fungus and thank him for once, but he wasn't brave enough to, and sadly he knew that.

In the school year, school would be his main priority, and practically his life. On holidays, weekends, and vacations, he'd tend to his arts all day. He had nothing to live for anymore except school and his creativity. _"Maybe I'd get more freedom by supporting myself with a job..."_ Randall thought again, this time his eyes widened and his fronds perked up. He decided not to be so lazy anymore, but then again, he was ten, and child labor was illegal in Monstropolis. Secretly inside, he hoped that he'd get a job at least by the time he was a teenager.

It was early June, and Randall didn't have anything to do that summer, except his crafts. It was another June night, in fact, it was midnight. He was photographing the full moon instead, which was darker and different than most of his wonderful masterpieces, as he was trying to contrast the setting sun with gleaming moon.

The only one who'd disturb his concentration was probably Jenny, his caretaker. He didn't mind when she came in, and actually found that he enjoyed it, because he had nobody. He always had to remind himself this: no friends (Fungus wasn't exactly a friend), no family, no parents, nothing... just a caretaker named Jenny. It was a sad life, but he learned to cope with it, using survival skills and instinct to keep alive.

He viewed the sunset picture from yesterday, looking over it with his proud emerald eyes, and then flipping to the next page to tape his picture of the full moon on the clear June night, with the time and date, and full description of that starry night, through a ten-year-old genius's eyes.

His caretaker knocked on the door; normally, he'd be startled, but he was so deeply concentrated, he didn't even notice her enter the room. "Um, Randall?" She said to break the awkward silence -- that caught his attention. He drew in a quick gasp, dropping his materials, and more silence continued. He settled down, putting a bony hand across his chest to calm his pounding heart. His slick tail grabbed ahold of the desk rim, and he spun around with his chair to face Jenny without moving any of his eight limbs. His expression was hilarious, almost as if to say "uh, I wasn't scared", but it was clear that he had ben almost terrified, almost as if he expected a mass murderer to enter the room with a knife. Jenny laughed at his face.

"What's so funny?" Randall asked, slightly offended, but not really. He looked a little interested: narrow eyes as usual, shut mouth, fronds irritated and drooping, and twitching tail.

His caretaker finally calmed herself down, "Ah, nothing, nothing." She said, waving the effects of hilarity off, and trying to become teacher-like serious. It wasn't very successful, because she didn't look serious with that cheap, toothy grin she displayed; Randall looked amused. "Anyway, Randall, it's early summer, y'know."

"I know." Randall said, looking at his materials for a minute, and at the full moon.

"And it's really late." She said, pointing at the clock that indicated 12:26 AM. Randall looked apologetic, but unsure if that was a violation of curfew orders since technically, he was in his room in after-hours. "Don't worry, it's no big deal..." She added, and the lizard boy seemed to relax a little from the tension he felt. She continued, "Anyway, seeing that it's summer, well, most kids do physical activity and fun stuff during the summer. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to send you to kiddie learning camps. I know you hate camping. But, um..."

"You wanted me to do something this summer?" Randall asked, playing around with scissors, watching them open and shut, keeping himself preoccupied so he didn't stare at her too much. He seemed to offend people with that regularly now.

"Well," Jenny shrugged, sitting on the empty second bed; Randall put the scissors down, and he moved over to the bed by the window, "Yeah." She said, her eyes cast to the ground, and slowly back up at him, "I'd hate for you to be all alone all summer. It's early June, and I know you've only been here three months... but, I'd just like you to know, if there's anything you want to talk about..."

Randall wasn't stupid; he knew exactly where she was getting at, and how cruel that question struck him each time. His fronds coiled back, his eyes squinted, his body flinched in response even though nothing was asked, and his limbs nearly jolted. In comfort, his tail wrapped around his fragile and thin body. He looked disappointed, "Hey, I'm not stupid." He said to Jenny, but not in a rude way, "You know I don't like talking about my parents."

"But, please, Randall. I want to know what's bothering you." Jenny said, "I'm so concerned about you..."

Randall's heart nearly stopped. "Don't say that." He said... obviously something terrible must've happened for fear to strike his nerves. "Don't be concerned!" He looked frightened, slightly disturbed as memories and flashbacks came blasting at him.

Jenny blinked suddenly, tilting her head to one side in confusion, "Whoa, it's okay, Randall. What's wrong? Is it a sin to be concerned?"

"Yes!" Randall quickly replied, looking less terrified and more pathetic. "Just... don't say that you're worried about me. Nobody should be. Heck, I shouldn't even be here." It was a little strange for a ten-year-old to say 'heck', but mm-hmm...

Jenny sighed, "I'm sorry. You haven't told me anything, so..."

Randall looked horrified again, "No, stop!" He said, dragging himself into the dark corner by his bed, and hiding beneath his bed. "No!" He said, nearly in tears. "Get away from me, mom!"

This made his caretaker extremely puzzled and almost instantly caught on... he said 'mom'. Something dreadful must've happened between him and his mother. "Mom? No, it's me, Jenny. Your caretaker!"

Randall's fronds perked up, and his eyes brightened. He stood up on his very hind legs, leaving six limbs to grasp onto the bed. "Jenny?" He asked cluelessly. Then he looked embarrassed and ashamed, almost a flashback of what he looked like in the interview failure yesterday. "I'm... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry!" He said, nearly in tears again. The ten-year-old had never cried since he got to the orphanage, but there were countless times he was close to actually spilling tears. Nobody knew if he cried in secret, deep in the night, all alone...

"Shh, it's ok, Randall." His caretaker said, looking around to see if anybody was listening, seeing that she neglected to shut the door. She politely did so, and approached Randall's bed, but it seemed like he was too anxious, and on the verge of a heart attack if she came near. "Well, I was thinking of doing something that'd be good for you..."

Randall gained his maturity and sanity back, thankfully, and tried to act like himself, with his heart rate decreasing to normal. He sighed with relief, and said, "Like what?"

Jenny looked up, thinking for a moment, and said, "It's really late, so how about tomorrow, you come by my room and I'll show you some advertisements of some really good places, hmm?" She offered, looking at the clock, "It's 12:40 AM, Mister. You should be in bed." She joked, "Just kidding."

Randall smiled at the joke, and gave a small chuckle. Jenny messed up his fronds... she loved doing that; it would reveal Randall's playful and rowdy side, which was almost never shown at all. In fact, he'd usually walk around all day with burdens, looking serious and depressed. He never openly admitted any of his feelings, though. He always remained strong. "Good-night, Jen." Randall said, his head placed on her lap after they spent a guardian/child bonding moment together.

Jenny looked down at him and smiled, and she began to hug him. "Good-night, Randall." She said in the embrace; she felt honored and privileged to be the only person Randall trusted in his life, seeing that he had nobody.

Randall's eyelids drooped in deep thought and consideration. This lizard child was actually one of the best children Jenny had ever seen. She remembered the other snotty brats that parents would still tolerate and possibly love. Randall was a god compared to those demons, in figure of speech. It's true... Randall was so different, but so nice and well-taught. Most kids could dream of keeping maturity like Randall could. Randall had been abandoned, as he repeated each interview to his caretaker. So, how could somebody desert the perfect child? Although, don't get it wrong, Randall was far from perfect, but he didn't contain many flaws that a majority of kids had. He didn't have a short attention span or reading and writing problems, he could tell his left from his right, he was obedient, he listened, and he never talked back to anybody. He was also creative -- he had many talents most kids could only dream of doing after fifty years of hard work.

It did look like Randall had been through a lot, just by looking at those emerald eyes of pain. Whenever he smiled, a lot of images would be reflected through his eyes, of misery and torture. When he got angry, a raging presence would frighten everybody, and his eyes reflected terror and doom. When he was sad, his eyes reflected pain and helplessness. Usually, the wise are the ones who've seen and done it all. Randall was one very smart ten-year-old, so Jenny guessed that he must've been through a lot to know so much, and act so intelligent. He was a special child to her -- he didn't feel like it obviously. He still felt like a reject.

Jenny gently brushed a hand through Randall's fronds, feeling the firm structures that were yet flexible and smooth. She never noticed that his fronds felt like smooth, flexible cords... very smooth like a snake's body. They weren't slimy, like in its appearance, but very smooth and dry. The red pigment on the tip of the fronds felt firmer than the purple pigment, Jenny observed to detail out of boredom. Suddenly, she heard a heavy sigh, and her eyes widened. _"Randall... he couldn't be... sleeping!?"_

Randall fell asleep on Jenny's lap, exhausted from the 1 AM time, being ten years old and energetic like all kids. He had been hard at work with his scrapbook, still taking landscape pictures, and people watching images from his point-of-view, with detailed writings. They were kiddish with a few mispelled words, but they were easily forgiveable. Jenny had read his works before, mildly impressed and amazed by the work this young monster could do over a few months, although he had an entire year's worth of life stories. He never mentioned his parents or his family though, not even in his scrapbook.

Jenny actually believed that she'd be there all night with the sleeping reptile, and she didn't mind. She was his guardian, and he never had a mother-like figure to look up to, so she gladly felt the responsibility to do so. She never felt this type of bond with a child before, especially since she never had children. So this was new and different for her, but she loved the feeling of caring for a child. He looked so helpless and innocent in her lap; she wondered if she moved him, he'd wake up. She didn't want to wake him up.

The door was shut, the desk was cluttered since Randall neglected to put his scrapbook and materials away, some drawings and notebooks were scattered on the floor, the closet door was open, one bed was empty, and the bed near the window had the full moon's glow cast upon Randall's sleeping figure. Jenny shifted to a more comfortable position, lying Randall beside her, and suddenly his tail wrapped around her waist. She didn't flinch, because she didn't want to wake Randall up. Although, she noticed that he talked in his sleep. "Randall... Randall Gobbs."

She laughed to herself silently -- he got his last name incorrect. She listened intently to see if he had anything interesting or strange to say. And indeed it was weird when suddenly he said, "No, stop hitting me." It was very slurred, but that was the only cohorent message Jenny could get out of "nooooooooo ahhhhh stoooopppp hiitttin meeeehhh". Randall's tail twitched, and irritatedly flicked around; his expression with his eyes shut looked angry, and his arms hugged Jenny -- almost as if he took her as a giant teddy bear. "Mehhhh... mommy." He said, and his helpless look came again, and he suddenly mumbled, "No, get away!"

Jenny's theory was proven true that night; it was 1 AM, and Randall, in his innocent sleep, began crying. He mistook Jenny for his pillow, and began crying against her. It was a long night for Randall, but short for Jenny, because she usually fell asleep at 2:30 AM and awoke at 7 AM anyway. She was there to comfort Randall while he was fighting in his sleep, crying, and suffering. He didn't know she was there, and she wasn't sure if he ever found out.

She didn't want him to feel too attached to a motherly figure, but she felt terrible since he never had anything like that. Nevertheless, she left him alone at 7 AM, and went to her room to prepare coffee. Tears were still pouring down Randall's face.

Randall had been completely oblivious to that night, for when he awoke the next morning, he wondered, _"Huh? When did I fall asleep... wasn't Jenny here?"_ It was silent, morning beamed through the windowshades, and in sadness, he concluded, _"Ha... guess she didn't wanna stay with me very long, waited until I fell asleep, and just up and left... just like everybody else."_ He didn't know he was stating the exact opposite. Randall curled up into a ball on his camouflage-military covers, and one last tear from last night trailed down his face.

---

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for not updating for like half a century. I've been trying to get more details on this story... please review, tell me what you think. Interesting, huh? About the caretaker, Randall, and how he knows Fungus. Say, that sounds a lot different than the movie... wasn't he the boss of Fungus? Read on to find out how they became that way... and also, very soon, we'll see how Randall knows Mike and Sulley. Ho-ho! Interesting, indeed.

**Author's Response:**

SylverStrike: Thanks for pointing out what you liked and didn't like in the story... it's this kind of stuff that helps me improve. As you can tell, I've taken your advice and put more action into this chapter, as well as removed dozens of elipses. However, I didn't remove any elipses from conversation and quotes, because it's when the characters trail off and pause for a moment before saying what they want. The reason there's so many is because in the first draft, I always put elipses to separate ideas or thoughts, but I didn't make a second draft, and I forgot. As you can see, this is an improvement without elipses now that I have a clear picture and more action. Once again, thank you for reviewing my story!

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(c) fic to Organization XIII rules

I still don't own the characters, just the fic.

(c) Randall Boggs & Fungus to Pixar/Disney

(c) Monsters Inc. to Pixar/Disney

(c) Caretaker/Jenny to Organization XIII rules

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	3. Chapter II: Summer Activities

Dark Childhood

5/19/07

By Organization XIII rules

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**Disclaimer:**

Organization XIII rules here again, for the third time. I love disclaimers... yes, that was a very sarcastic comment. I own this fic, I don't own Monsters Inc., this is called fan-fiction, not "hey, I'm the owner of this story so I'd like to write little drabbles and plotbunnies for random fun, even though I'll never make a sequel!", not that I see Pixar doing that. I hope they make a Monsters Inc. 2... wow, that got me thinking. Cool! I say, BRING RANDALL BACK FROM THE HUMAN WORLD!! Bring him back to Monstropolis!

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Chapter II: Summer Activities

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_There was knocking on the orphanage door at 10 PM, it went on incessantly, until finally Jenny put on her warm coat, before opening the door to see what was going on. As the creaky red door swung open, a cold draft blew past her, and she shivered. It was March, so a spring shower came, and rain was pouring that evening. She looked to both sides, to see the cold, empty streets, and fog creeping around. There were no cars out... there were no casual monsters strolling by. It was very unordinary. Yet that knocking brought her out here._

_She felt an unexpected tug on her nightgown, so she looked down. There was a little purple lizard monster staring up at her, but he looked rather tall, since his height made him stand above her elbow. He looked elegant, but troubled... "Hello." She said, unsure of what sort of prank this was. "Who are you?"_

_"Randall Boggs." the kid replied, looking at the narrow hallway, and back up at her, "Is this a nice place?"_

_That was a weird question. Anyway, Jenny cleared her throat and answered, "Yes...? It's an orphanage, so there are lots of children with no parents. Babies, toddlers, kids, and teenagers..."_

_Randall looked up, keeping a firm and steady gaze at her, looking at her features up and down -- that was something he tended to do a lot. He asked, "Orphanages keep kids without parents, right?"_

_Jenny nodded, "Yup... either they died or abandoned the children. Unless it's some different case..."_

_Randall sighed, and said, "I'm abandoned."_

_Jenny's eyes widened, "What...? Oh, oh!" She said, realizing how stupid she was. This child had been abandoned, and he made his way to the orphanage! "Come in, come in!" She said, leading Randall into the cozy place. "Randall, how'd you get here, and how do you know you're an orphan? Did your parents die?"_

_Randall's eyes went wide, he looked like he was in shock, but gulped and replied with a simple, "... I was abandoned. My parents didn't want me."_

_"Oh." Jenny said sympathetically, "That's terrible." She said, and got a towel for Randall, since he was dripping wet from the rain, "Follow me... I'll get you a nice room." She never found a more odd case than that... of Randall Boggs._

Jenny was quietly stirring her coffee that lovely June 4th morning. She couldn't help remembering how mysterious Randall had been since he came to the orphanage the foggy March night. She did note that he made amazing progress over three months. He was alright... he knew his birth date, his age, his height and weight, his parents' names (he wouldn't say, though), the house address he used to live in (it was now deserted), his pets' names, and various family members' names that nobody could contact or would answer the phone to.

Also, Jenny could count the several times she grabbed the phone-book, searching for the name 'Boggs', and calling every number, seeing if anybody had a child named Randall Boggs that was missing. There were seven names, but unfortunately, they weren't even reptilian monsters. Jenny didn't give up though; she went around the neighborhood asking people if they've seen lizard monsters around Monstropolis, but none of them knew a Randall Boggs. Despite the fact Randall told her that his parents didn't put their names up to the general public anywhere, Jenny had refused to give up. She had incredible determination, but three months later, there was still no luck at all, not even a merciful speck.

It seemed as though Randall truly was an orphan now that nobody wanted him. It was like hide-and-seek, except with a player so good, you could never find him, no matter how many people you had on your team. His family was a strange, odd mystery. Randall shrugged while Jenny tried her best... he thanked her for it, but added that it was probably pointless.

Randall appeared downstairs at the kitchen, and took Jenny by surprise. "Oh!" She said, with a slight jump by unexpectedly seeing his reflection through the mirror hanging by the coffee machine. "Randall." She said, turning around to face him. He looked like he slept well, but had been crying, that was rare -- he never looked like he actually cried, even though he cried every night. Maybe it was because Jenny actually paid attention today instead of keeping her back to the child and talked to him that way. "You're up so early."

"It's 10:24." Randall mused with a small smile, and Jenny laughed with an "oh, so it is" look. With that, Randall approached Jenny and said, "So... about those advertisements and stuff you were talking about?"

"Oh, yeah!" Jenny said, putting a hand over steam coming out of her gooey coffee, "Follow me." She said, and Randall patiently did so. He followed her down the hall, as she walked at turtle pace to keep her coffee from spilling over the edge, and staining the white carpets to dark tan. It took a few minutes for them to arrive into Jenny's room, which resembled an office and bedroom together. Jenny put her coffee on her desk, and sat in her easy chair, closing a few programs on her computer.

Randall inattentively watched, not really caring about what she did to the electronic device. Then magically, the printer got color copies of some ads she got from the computer. This was a little cool for Randall, especially since he never really noticed why computers even existed. Jenny grabbed up these brochures and handed them to Randall; he took them, and began looking through them.

"They're pretty cool." Jenny said, pointing to the brochures, "It's a good opportunity to meet kids."

Randall shrugged with a small smile. He didn't find anything particulary interesting -- he would like an astronomy camp, or something to do with space, so he could take photographs of the stars and moon and sun. He suddenly paused at one brochure, and then kept flipping through them.

Jenny suddenly asked out of silence, "... How about this one?" She pulled out a brochure that stood out among the others that all offered swimming, camping, etc. This one that Randall paused at before captivated his attention once more. It was a brochure of dormitory living, rather than pitching-up a tent living. The activities listed showed nothing of country music, rednecks, non-civilization, etc. This was completely different than the other brochures.

Randall didn't know what to say yet -- he wasn't sure if he wanted to go. He looked at Jenny and said, "You think I could...?"

"Sure!" Jenny said, looking at the brochure, "They have lots of fun things listed, and hey look, they have the list of kids that went last year." Randall briefly skimmed through the list, but immediately paused at one name.

"Fungus?" Randall said out-loud. "Fungus is going?" He said, looking at Jenny, eyes wide and head tilted to one side. He looked like a confused cocker spaniel. Jenny smiled, holding back giggles at that.

"Yes," she said, "and also look what I discovered..." she pointed to a particular name on the summer camp's list of children. Randall Boggs. He was there!?

"What...!?" Randall gasped, looking again at the unfamiliar dorms, but in curiosity, he opened the brochure, and found a way-too-familiar lake. His emerald eyes looked aghast, his fronds drooped, his long neck tensed, and his hands holding the brochure gripped tighter, accidentally crumpling the edges of the delicate paper. He recognized this place. "Camp Jade?" He quietly asked.

"Yeah!" She said excitedly, despite Randall's disappointed reaction. She then began to wonder if he had bad memories of the place. "I heard it's a really nice place, lots of things to do, and have wonderful instructors. Doesn't it sound wonderful?" Silence passed between her and Randall, and his stunned expression became more and more pathetic. "What's wrong, Randall? ... I thought you'd like this opportunity."

With that, Randall looked up at his caretaker, and smiled fakely... which was rare -- usually, he'd be truthful to his emotions. "No, it's exciting." He said, not in sarcasm or in a kidding manner. "I really loved this place! It's just that..." His once brightened-up self only glimmered for a moment, before he gloomed down. "... I came here once... with..." He didn't finish that sentence, and smiled truthfully, saying, "I wish I could go here again..."

"Would you like to?" Jenny asked; Randall looked up at her, with that face saying many things. It was like, "Duh, does it look like I'm joking, Jen?", "It'd be nice to go back", and "I'M SO EXCITED, PLEEEAAASSEE LET ME GO!!" all mixed together. Jenny couldn't resist, "So that's a yes?"

"More than anything." Randall answered.

"Alright." Jenny said in agreement, "Start packing. The camp starts June 10th." That was six long days away. But that was okay... Randall had lots of things to keep him busy before going.

Without even thinking, Randall hugged Jenny. At first, Jenny had been startled, but then she relaxed. Randall did treat her like she was a mother. "Thanks, Jen!" Randall said, and Jenny almost swore she heard: "Thanks, mom!"

Jenny shook those thoughts out of her head, "You're welcome, Randall..."

"You're the best." Randall said, and slithered out of the room. Jenny laughed to herself, and shut the door behind Randall, followed by a professional look and a sip of hot coffee.

Randall was walking down the hallways, and then he stopped at a door that read "Anne Killregan". She was the lady who kept records of every child in the orphanage, and like some days... Randall was interested on how much progress he made over three months. It didn't take very long for the nice lady to open the door... unlike Jenny's bird-like resemblence, Anne looked feline. "Oh, Randall." She said, "Nice to see you here on this fine day."

"Same here." Randall said, looking thoughtfully at her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh, sure!" Anne said -- she was not one to hesitate. She opened the door a creak, but wide enough to let the skinny lizard in. He easily and swiftly came through, and approached a chair from behind, so he could get on it. "So, what's up, Randall Boggs?" She asked, looking through his records, "Anything you want to know?"

"Yeah..." Randall said, looking at how thick the records looked in Anne's clipboard... so many documented papers. "What's my status so far...?"

"Well, Mr. Boggs..." Anne said, carefully flipping through the clipboard, and saying, "... ever since you've arrived at the orphanage, you've been a healthy monster. You have good knowledge, good access to resources, rightful behaviors, nice influences, great communication skills, excellent decisions, awesome skills, decent heredity, and a clean environment. You've been very responsible and calm during all situations..." she said.

Randall looked a little confused, "Um, I know that I'm healthy, but... I was wondering if you could pull my personal record, and my family record, please."

"Sure thing..." Anne said, pulling several documents out and reading them. "These things change daily, huh?" Randall nodded in understanding, in fact, since they changed so often, that's why he wanted to know. "Vital statistics..." she said, looking at Randall's birth records, "... Born August 27, 2.5 pounds, 15 inches tall as a newborn... Born at Judeson's Hospital, out of the country, huh?" Randall nodded, already aware of this. He wasn't born in Monstropolis. "Biological father and mother..." she said, and paused. "Nothing's been written down, Randall, except these letters."

Randall sighed, remembering that he only had enough courage back then to write down their initials, "D.B and M.M"... his father's surname was, without a doubt, Boggs, and Randall let his mother's name be her maiden name. "Okay..." Anne said, unsure of what that meant, and continued, "Birth was natural... not cesarean section or breech..." she noted, "No complicating factors, you were all healthy... and your birth certificate is right here." She said.

"Yeah." Randall said, already aware of his birth statistics. He knew that he was born out of the country in Europe (monster world Europe, of course), and lived there for the first three years of his life. He knew he was born naturally and healthy with no complications. "Keep going..." He said.

Anne read, "Family history..." she pulled out Randall's family history records, "Genetic diseases... risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia." It was true that diabetes ran in Randall's father's side. "Allergy to cheese..." She noted, finding it weird that he wasn't allergic to any other dairy products. "Hmm..." She said, looking at these records, and continued, "None of your family members have apparently died from disease, but have died from heart attacks and old age."

Randall nodded, "I come from a good family." He said, shrugging, because he wasn't exactly sure if that was true.

Anne was pulling out his immunizations records, "Mm-hmm... no allergic reactions to any medication or immunizations... you've got all your shots."

"Got them when I was two." Randall stated truthfully.

Anne finally pulled out Randall's personal record, "Current height... 4'11." Randall was 4'11 while standing on his four legs, but it was recorded that while on his most hind legs, he became 5'4... that was really tall for a ten-year-old. "57 pounds..." That was really light for a ten-year-old, because most were already 65 pounds. "Normal blood pressure, normal blood cholesterol..."

She paused at one, and said, "Ooh, excellent vision!" Randall never needed glasses in his life. His vision was so sharp and precise. He could spot anything a mile away. "Very good hearing, too." Randall's hearing was sometimes way too sensitive, though, and that was annoying. "Food allergy to cheese. Skin allergy to grass." she took note, and continued, "No major injuries... never broke a bone. No major illnesses... never had cancer, diabetes, or anything serious. Most serious being influenza." She continued to say.

"Yeah..." Randall said, "It sounds like you're bragging about me." He thought out-loud.

"It's on your records." Anne said, and pulled out another record. "You've never smoked, drank alcohol..." Well, duh, he was only ten. Would you expect a ten-year-old to drink and smoke? "You don't exercise much..." That's why he used his reptilian abilities to the fullest whenever he could every day. "You don't get much sleep..." Well, it's kind of hard to sleep once you've been traumatized by a strange event that landed you in an orphanage three months ago. Yeah, regularly, he'd sleep five hours... four hours less than most kids. "You don't have many friends... not even at school. You don't have a job." Duh, once again, he's ten. "And interests in arts and crafts."

"Indeed." Randall said, for the fun of it. "So, I'm taking it that I've got a lot of progress, huh?" He noticed that his height and weight changed recently. Last time he visited, which was two weeks ago, his height was 4'10 and a half, and his weight was 54 pounds.

Anne nodded, "Yes. You've still got quite a few records." She took out his dental history, "Ooh, you need to get a dentist's appointment."

"But my teeth are fine!" Randall insisted, so far, he had only three cavities in his life, but not serious enough to get a shot in his gum, and a painful drilling. He never experienced that... but he had a teeth x-ray once, to see that most of his baby teeth had already fallen out. He never had decay, gum disease, root canal, or freaky implants so far... the worst was gingivitis... but nearly everybody has that.

Anne took out his medication record, seeing that they were all cold and flu medications, since nothing serious had ever hit him in his life. She saw that he didn't have health insurance or health-care professionals, meaning no family doctor, medical specialist, or dentist... he just saw whoever. "That enough for today?" She asked.

"Yeah." Randall said, "Thanks. I just wanted to see if anything changed..."

"Why would anything change?" Anne asked.

"Ah, it's nothing." Randall shrugged it off. "Just wondering if my parents... ever wanted me back... and signed something with you. Guess not. I can dream, can't I?" He smiled, before shutting the door behind himself.

"Good-bye..." Anne said, and silence followed.

Randall then decided to pack for that summer camp... it was Camp Jade. He shrugged upon entering his cluttered room, noticing how empty it was... no, there was enough stuff and furniture in here, but... he was the only one in there. He was alone again...

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**Author's Note:**

Aw, poor Randall... about his records and stuff, I wrote them for fun, and they're pretty cool, huh? I've always thought Randall acted like an Aries or Leo, but I thought making him a Virgo would explain his creative and quiet side. He isn't a bookworm, don't worry, people... I'm hoping for more reviews, maybe! Some constructive criticism, story ideas/suggestions, something! Maybe tell me what you're looking forward to, what you want for this story... uh-huh, that sort of stuff. Please...? I'll give you a cookie!

That way I can have an author's response for the lack of them in certain chapters... and the more reviews, the more updates, and that means more story! That benefits you and me, my friend... ha-ha. And Randall. Randall, though he likes to be mysterious, likes to see that people liked/disliked or at least inserted their opinion about his life... well, not that this really was his life, but we're left in suspense, since the Pixar guys didn't GIVE Randall a past! Soooo... I hope they give him one soon so us authors can play around with him and finally confirm these little facts we have about him.

Man, why did they have to concentrate so much on Mike and Sulley...? I mean, they showed Randall over eight times in the movie, but come on... at least we know that Mike and Sulley have moms that are alive. Remember?

Mike: (after the tv commercial) I know! Hey, wasn't I great? Did the whole family see it? (he looked over at Sulley) It's your mom. Hey, what can I say? The camera loves me!

And in the bonus play "Put that thing back where it came from or so help me" (it should be titled the world's longest play title, initialed PTTBWICFOSHM), where...

Mike: Thank you, thank you! And I'd like to give some credit to a very special guest in the crowd... ladies and gentlemen, my mom! (I can't remember the exact line, but it was something like that. And you actually SEE Mike's mom, who's a freaky cross between Mike and Roz.)

But Randall...? Dude, after Randall disappears in the ending, the only time he's mentioned after that is Sulley when he indirectly mentions Randall, "Nobody's coming through the closet to scare you anymore" he tells Boo. Meaning that Randall's finished off... but, that's unfair, man. He's not even mentioned in the company play, with the exception of Needleman putting a glove on his head and holding a vacuum hose, saying, "Tell us where the kid is!" and the crowd boo-ing. Come onnnn, all he wanted to do was revolutionize the company, people. In the company play, his family's not even there. Wouldn't they come after his disappearance and seriously question Mike and Sulley?

Sorry for the rant. I have too many questions about this movie. Pixar said they made the movie so all questions would be answered, but then how come I'm wondering all these things about Randall, and probably a lot of other people are? Did they really intend it to be a happy ending by hitting the coolest guy in the whole movie with a shovel, held by a grandma!? ... HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Sorry, that's funny. Yet that's really REALLY sad. I have a love/hate thing for Randall. Anyway, lemme stop talking, and instead start cranking out the third chapter. My bad, folks.

**Author's Response:**

FicCheck: Glad you like this story, and thanks for reviewing once again! I'll write more, and sorry for all the delays and chapter re-dos I've been doing recently. I'm just straightening things out, either by reviewers or me pointing things out. You've pointed a lot of things out in Average Monster, and have shaped me into a better writer for this story. Thank you, FicCheck!

SylverStrike: Thank you for reviewing again! I went through Randall's personal records for the fun of it, true, to keep the reader entertained. Camp Jade does sound interesting... I've never been to an actual summer camp before, but I have been over to relatives that live in the middle of nowhere, similar to this camp coming up next... so it'll be very exciting when it comes along, minus all the boredom I found while camping over there. I believe Camp Jade will be the best part of what makes "Dark Childhood" what it is. Thank you, SylverStrike, for reviewing each of my chapters, and you might want to look back on the prologue and chapter 1... I changed them as well to improve the story with your suggestions (by deleting the elipses, etc.) included!

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(c) fic to Organization XIII rules

I still don't own the characters, just the fic.

(c) Randall Boggs to Pixar/Disney

(c) Monsters Inc. to Pixar/Disney

(c) Caretaker/Jenny and Anne Killregan to Organization XIII rules

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	4. Chapter III: Camp Jade WILL IMPROVE

Dark Childhood 

6/1/07

By Organization XIII rules

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**Disclaimer:**

Organization XIII rules here again, fourth time's the screw up. I swear I'll get a better chapter up June 10th, save the date, because I'm going out of state. Wow, that rhymed! The author that yet doesn't own the movie and isn't Pixar actually is a poet, as well! I'm full of sarcasm for disclaimers, ain't I? Those annoying lil buggers just get to me sometimes... but they can be so cute. Especially while they're burning over an open flame. Burn, baby, burn! Pixar's glad I make them though, and probably Disney is, too. If you aren't glad I make them, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!! Here it is anyway. I vote for people who make funny disclaimers! They rule!! And so do people who exclude disclaimers... I include them just to annoy you and me together. Ha-ha, I'm a nerd... ok, I'll shut up now, here's the crappiest chapter ever.

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Chapter III: Camp Jade (I WILL UPDATE, I SWEAR!!)

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Randall had finished packing his things, which of course, included his crafts, mandatory things (warm clothes, toothbrush, etc.), and typical things you'd pack for an entire summer. It was true he once had gone to Camp Jade, but of course, this as well as many other things, was a mystery to everybody. He stood at his door, remembering briefly about the adoption interview failure, his older female roommate, the night with Jenny, Fungus' kindness, and now Camp Jade. As he held a heavy suitcase and overweight backpack, he gripped the door knob, looking at his room full of three months of memories. He knew he'd probably never see the place for a long time, if never again.

With one last glimpse of this room, he closed the door behind himself, and wandered down the long hallways, making his way to the first floor. He was very excited about Camp Jade, especially since he'd be there with Fungus. Yet he was reluctant to leave, because of his relationship with Jenny, and how much he'd miss her that summer. She saw this as an opportunity, and so far she'd always done what was best for him, so she was right about this. Randall sometimes was a little too unsure about this himself, even though he knew he should trust her more.

At the first floor, there was: Jenny, his caretaker; Anne Killregan, the lady who had his records; Anna Bakeston, his old roommate in April; and Fungus. He gasped to see them all in a group downstairs, just waiting for him. It was such a shock that he dropped his suitcase, and fell over from the weight of his backpack. There was laughter, and Jenny helped him up with a smile on her face.

Randall smiled, "What's so funny?" He asked his caretaker.

She smiled and said, "I'm trying to cherish this moment. We might not see each other again for some time, Randall." She said, looking over at the three monsters in the background. "I love you and I'll miss you." Jenny said, giving him a brief hug, and then picking up his heavy suitcase, that was probably heavier than himself.

Randall looked at Anne, and gave her a brief hug. He heard her say, "When you get back, we'll check your records again, ok?"

"Ok." Randall said, his smile seemed invisible. He looked at Anna with confusion, surprise, and happiness... the sort of reaction you'd get if you see an old friend who shows up unexpectedly. "Anna, what're you doing here?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

"I'm wish you luck." Anna said, hugging him, even though she was two years older than he. "You're going to a pretty cool camp, and the orphanage will miss you. Even though I'm adopted, I still contribute to the program, giving orphans all that they need, and this includes you, Randall."

"Aw, Anna." Randall blushed. He looked at Fungus, and realized that they'd actually be spending time together on the plane ride there. Fungus also looked ready, but with not as much luggage as the lizard boy bore. He smiled, "Fungus..."

Fungus gave a smile in return, if not more sincere than Randall, "Yo Randall!" They did give each other a brief hug, if not briefer than the others, because they were both embarrassed hugging each other in the presence of women. "It's been a long time." They now shook each other's hands, with Randall looking down at his shorter friend.

"It certainly has, Fungus." Randall said, knowing that thanking the smaller boy wouldn't be wise in front of females. He looked at the open door and said, "Shall we go then?" In orderly fashion, it was said, and Randall hauled out his heavy backpack.

"Sure!" Fungus said, taking his share of luggage. They both struggled to get it out the door, while the girls inside waved, with the exception of Jenny putting the luggage inside her car trunk, to take to the airport. "Thanks." Fungus said as his bags were placed inside the trunk; Randall didn't say anything, because he was too concentrated in the shock of Fungus' appearance so early, and he wasn't even at Camp Jade yet!

The car ride there was pretty short, because Randall and Fungus had lots to catch up on. They weren't exactly friends, but acquaintances trying to get to know each other better, and this was the perfect opportunity. The entire time, they talked about random subjects as they came along to continue the conversation. Randall did find out that Fungus lived with both parents, like in an ordinary family with no dysfunction present. Of course, Fungus knew better than to ask an orphan about his parents, so he kept silent about Randall's past. They talked about roller-coasters, cars, popular movies, money, jobs, and possible future colleges. Before they knew it, they made it to the airport.

Randall bid his last farewells to Jenny and his luggage; the boys boarded the airplane without delay of any sort, and they knew that on the plane they could chat forever about things. Here, in the plane, the trip was going to be roughly three hours. This didn't bother them, and they had fun talking on and on about things. Talking made Randall realize how much he missed out on life that Fungus got to experience daily, and how unfair life could be to certain people. On the positive side, Randall got to explore certain subjects, such as science, that he'd never get to talk about to anybody else, but Fungus.

Not only was Randall creative, he enjoyed science, as well as arts and math, just as he mentioned in his adoption interview. Little did anybody know that science was a true passion, almost as strong as his crafts. Randall promised to show Fungus his scrapbook, and his discoveries in them; Fungus promised to show Randall his collection of science-fiction novels. All this would have to wait until Camp Jade.

From thousands of feet high, Randall could spot out the noticeable figure of thick woods and a luxurious campsite. It seemed shabby, but more homelike and down-to-earth than most campsites, that made you feel like you were doing something blank and pointless. Camp Jade was humongous, no doubt about that, and Fungus pointed out several memories from the fun times he had during the past years.

Something that was true and Randall remembered for quite some time, was when Fungus said, "I can't believe that we've both been to Camp Jade, and yet never recognized each other when we met again!" This got Randall thinking.

The plane landed safely, Fungus was bracing for the impact, and both sighed of relief when the plane didn't crash, as if they expected it to. Finding their luggage was an extreme hassle, and it usually was no matter what. Randall was complaining a lot at this point, while Fungus kept the situation under control with maturity, as his mother taught him. After Randall got his bags, he kept on muttering under his breath. Fungus thanked the people for finding his luggage before he did, and had to catch up to Randall, who had a very quick walking pace.

"Randall, wait up!" Fungus called out, and the lizard boy stopped for a moment. He tilted his head to one side, relying on his hearing rather than vision, to know when Fungus was on his tail, literally. The recognizable footsteps of Fungus came closer and closer, until Fungus was about ten feet away from Randall, and he began walking again. Fungus thought this was neat, "Whoa, do you have eyes on the back of your head or something?"

Randall chuckled, "Rely on instinct and nothing else, Fungus. You don't need your eyes for everything." Fungus realized the truth and meaning behind those words. He smiled dorkily, and had a running pace to keep up with the taller monster. They were both the same age, but different species with many differences and experiences.

The entire time they had together, Randall still hadn't built up the courage to actually confront Fungus and thank him for everything. Even though he felt like Fungus deserved it, he just couldn't. The taxi ride to Camp Jade was bumpy, but fun. They pointed out historic landmarks, and each had a story to tell. Here, Fungus actually heard Randall mention having a photo opportunity with a parent, but he didn't say which one.

Slowly, but surely, Fungus wanted to build up Randall's trust in him, to unveil the mystery of Randall Boggs. It was twenty minutes before they made it to a lush forest, down the dirt pathways, with light precipitation and strong humidity. It was a tropical environment, which made Fungus sneeze due to huge amounts of moisture, and Randall was sensitive to wet places. He lived in a dry climate, yet enjoyed the cold, when it was comfortable, about sixty-five degrees. Wet places made him feel sticky, and that was disgusting to reptilian monsters that were more lizard than alligator or turtle.

Once they entered the tropical forest, Fungus began sneezing, and Randall shivered. "Must be Camp Jade." They both said in laughter.

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**Author's Note:**

I'm so sorry about the crappy chapter! I know it's been a while since I've written a chapter, but I've had so much work to do. I'm going out-of-state on June 10th, so I'll write my experiences on the plane, the ride over to my destination, and all that, word-by-word into Randall's experiences and enhance the story more. And my sister will be Fungus... ha-ha! The most random things, some people I'll meet on the plane, etc. will be awesome. I'm going to see my cousin, so she'll be one of Randall's distant relatives... gasp, did you hear that? One of Randall's relatives! Yes, it'll be his cousin, female. Here, she'll protect Randall, and won't answer anything about his parents, and will only mention that her mother's brother is Randall's father.

Once again, sorry for the crappy chapter, like the hiatus in Average Monster, I had to end it with a stupid chapter to hang on until I get time for something. Average Monster will be delayed, possibly for the entire summer, so I can finish up Dark Childhood. This one will detail more about my experiences this summer at my cousin's house, hence why I wrote this story in the first place. Here's the moment that you've all been waiting for...

Mike and Sulley do appear in Camp Jade! They go there too, and Childhood Laughter, the contrasting opposite story that comes later on, will also be based around Camp Jade, except in Sulley's view-point. For the hey of it, I might throw in Celia, Roz, Needleman and Smitty, and Waternoose (the Waternoose possibility is very low, as he's not a favorite character of mine. He was rude to Randall AND Sulley in the movie's ending).

Don't get me started on Waternoose. I love Roz, though, she's totally my homie! Anyway, no Author's response for this chapter until June 10 or after, ok? You guys can be patient until then, right? It's only 10 more annoying days until then. Yay, then I'll make up for lack of creativity. My bad, the other reason why this seems like a stupid summary is because it's 1:42 AM! I'll shut up, go to bed, and see ya June 10th! Thank you for reviewing, FicCheck and SylverStrike!

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(c) fic to Organization XIII rules

I still don't own the characters, just the fic.

(c) Randall Boggs and Fungus to Pixar/Disney

(c) Monsters Inc. to Pixar/Disney

(c) Caretaker/Jenny, Anne Killregan, and Anna Bakeston to Organization XIII rules

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End file.
